Belt buckle



Y June 3, 1930. Aw, M DOLKE '1,761,520

BELT lBUCKLE Filed April 16, 1929 Patented June 3, 1.930

PATENT ori-uci:

WILLIAM M. DGLKE, OF STEVENS POINT, WISCONSI-N BELT BUCKLE l ,Application led April 16,

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in buckles.

One of the objectsofmy invention is. the provision of a buckle adapted to be used 1n 5 connection with belts of various characters and resides-in the construction of a buckle which can-be quickly and easily detached from one end of the belt while means is provided for en aging the other 'end of the belt with the uckle for holding the belt in active position.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a buckle adapted to be used in connection with belts and is so connected to the belt as to provide for a considerable saving of leather in the manufacture of belts and at the same time is extremely eicient in cooperating with the ends of the belt for retaining the same in its proper position.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a belt bucklewherein the parts thereof are extremely simple and so arranged as to be compact inform when in operative position whereby they will presenta neat, attractive and smooth fitting appearance so that there will be no uneven parts which will` have a tendency to press toward or against the body of the wearer.-

A still further object of the vinvention is the provision of a belt buckle wherein the normally free end of the belt can be quickly and readily engaged with the buckle or removed therefrom and which, during the active use of the belt will have a tendency to tightly grip the normallyfree end when any stress or strain is applied to the belt so that it will be practically impossible to disconnect the normally free end from the buckle while the belt is in use. 4 f

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a' belt buckle wherein the metal parts of the buckle are inter-connected and the clamping member is adjustably mounted with respect to the body of the buckle and the parts are so arranged that one end of the belt may be quickly and readily attached to or detached from thebuckle, and the other end after encircling the wearer can be quickly and easily engaged with the buckle and be tightly secured against movement.

1929. seriai No.vs55,519.

the invention consists in the novel features of construction, the combination and ar- `-rangement of parts hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in the claims and shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation looking toward the inside of the buckle with the belt ends in lposition Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, with one of the belt ends removed; v

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3*-3 of Figure l;

Figure 4: is a longitudinal section on the line 4-4 of Figure y1;

Figure 5 1s an enlarged lon itudinal sec tion of the buckle with the elt ends removed; and,

Figure 6 is a detail clamping plate.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, it will be noted that the body of th buckle comprises a curved front or face part 1. Ordinarily, prior to the shaping of the buckle, the body comprises a loop and in order to properly form the buckle, the back 2 of the loop is pressed inwardly toward the front 1; this operation of folding the side walls upon themselves, is shown at 3, toform` achannel 4.

perspective view of the In'depressing the back portion of lthe loop inwardly toward the front part l, one endl of the back is pressed inwardly a distance slightly beyond the other end, thus forming a substantiallytapering channel between the front and back parts. The Walls of the de` pressed part from the overturned part 3 to the back part 2 being curved or tapered to-v ward one end of the body as will be clearly illustrated in Figure 5, thus forming atapen ing channel' through. the body.

' The back pait 2 is formed with a longitudinal slot 5 which receives the headed pin 6 carried by the-curved clamping plate 7; This clamping plate normally moves within the tapered channel between t'he front and back part and is restricted in. its movement by the pin G operating in the slot 5.

The back part 2 carries the headed studs 8 which are adapted to be engaged by the sockets 9 carried by one end of the belt 10.` The end ol' the belt 10 which carries t-he sockets 9 is preferably that end which is secured to the buckle and is retained in this position at all times during the use of the belt whether the normally free end of the belt is engaged with the buckle or not. In order to retain the attached end of the belt against lat'- eral movement with respect to the body of the buckle, opposed tabs or lingers 11 are cut out of the back portionand extended transversely of the buckle, vas shown in Figures l and 2. These tabs or fingers are disposed outwardly of the belt 10 and will prevent the belt from moving laterally away from the buckle, but the belt can be readily engaged with the buckle and be disposed beneath the fingers 1l by pressing inwardly -upon the edges of the belt so that they will engage beneath these lingers prior to the fastening ofA the sockets 9 onto the headedstuds S.

' As shown in Figure 5, the parts of the buckle are arranged in operative position. In using the device, the end of the belt carrying the sockets 9 may be readily engaged with the studs 8 so that the belt can be quickly arranged for use. When it is desired to engage the normally free end with the buckle, the rounded or tapering end of the belt is inserted into the buckle behind the front l thereof,

from the right of the illustration in Figure 5, the leather part of the belt engaging thc clamping plate 7-and moving the samev to the left. After the belt has been drawn through the buckle to a point beyond its required position, the end is then released and as the belt loosens, moving toward its required position, it will cooperate with the roughened or knurled surface of the clamping plate, moving: the clamping plate into the tapering channel, and it will be noted that due to the tapering of this channel, the belt will be tightly wedged between the front face 1 of the buckle and the clamping plate;

It Will be noted that the side Walls 12 o f the clamping plate are rounded toward each end and these rounded side Walls operate in the channel 4 formed by the overturned side walls of the body of the buckle andas the inner wall of the channel 4 is tapered due to the relative position of the back 2, the clamp ing plate will have a tendency to cooperate with the inner edge of this wall and bequickly clamped in position during the movement of the clamping plate in the channel between ,l the front and back parts ofthe buckle.

From this, it will be apparent that any additional strain applied to the belt will have a tendency to tightly wedge the plate 7 against the belt and limit its movement in one direction. However, when it is desired t0 release the normally free end of the belt, it is given a pull in the opposite direction in order to release the plate 7 and as soon as the plate 7 is released, it can be held in this position by the lingers until the normally free end of the belt is Withdrawn from the buckle.

In attaching the-sockets 9 to the end of the belt which is to be secured to the buckle, I prefer to position these sockets at a slight distance from the end of the plate and round 0H the -end of the belt, as shown in Figure l. This end of the belt which projects beyond the sockets will have a tendency to guard the wearing apparel against contact with the sharp edges of the buckle, and will also providemeans whereby the end of the belt may be grasped by the fingers for disconnecting the sockets 9 from the studs 8. In contructing the body of the buckle, it is preferred to 'stamp out the body in one piece and then quickly fold the same so that the edges thereof are brought together on a center line at the back of the buckle, as shown at 13, and each side of the center of the back portion 2 is recessed to form the slot 5.

Attention is directed to the fact that in the use of a buckle of this character, a' cohsiderable saving is 4carried out in the appli cation of the belt to the buckle, as the sockets 9 can be positioned very close to the end of the strip of leather which goes to form the belt, thus eliminating 'the extra amount of leather which is generally used to be wrapped around a cross bar of a portion of the buckle in the manufacture of belts at the present time. Furthermore, the buckle itself is comparatively free of obstructions so that when the normally free end 0f the belt is in position, the buckle as Well as the overlapped ends of the belt will rest snugly against the body of the wearer and there Will be no unusual projections to be pressed against the body during use.

It will be noted that the ends of the side Walls 12 of the clamping plate are rounded ott' so that regardless of lwhich end of the plate 7 is inserted into the body of the buckle, the clamping action of the plate will be the same.

` I claim:

1. In a belt buckle, a channelled body including a front and back Wall with one end o'tthe back wall positioned nearer the front wall than the other end, said back wall having its ends terminating at a point inwardly of the ends of the front Wall and provided with a central longitudinal slot, and a-clamping plate movable Within the channelled body and having a headed pin engaged with said slot.

2. In abelt buckle, a channelled body including a front and back Wall with thevends of the back wall terminating 'short of the ends of the front wall, said back wall having having a central longitudinal slot and a clamping plate movable Within the channelled body and having a headed pin engaged Within said slot.

movable between the front and back walls and having side flanges movable in the channels, and a headed pin carried by said clamping plate cooperating with the slot for limiting the movement of the clamping plate relative to the back plate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee 'and State of Wisconsm.

WILLIAM M. DOLKE.

a longitudinal slot, a clamping plate 

